Champion of Darkness
by NavalKopis
Summary: AU. Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, was orphaned as a baby. And because of the insistence of two Roman primordial goddesses, he is blessed by Erebus in order to defeat an ancient threat once and for all. He is sent to Camp and given a task. The borders are failing, but that's not all. It seems their enemy isn't just aiming to make Camp fall.


_EDITED: 02/01/2014 **Some grammatical errors were corrected, and ****I added more description to an ability of an important character. I advise you to read it.**_

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_**A/N: Well, this is my first story, so please bear with me. This is an AU of the PJO series with Percy blessed by Erebus as a baby. The title is Champion of Darkness. Yeah, I know, such a cliché name, but I couldn't think of anything else.**_

_**And just in case you're confused with the names, here:**_

_**Nox - Roman primordial goddess of night, Roman form of Nyx**_

_**Erebus - Roman primordial god of darkness, Roman form of Erebos**_

_**Necessitas - Roman primordial goddess of inevitability, compulsion, and necessity, Roman form of Ananke**_

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_**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus. Rick Riordan does.**_

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**Summary: **_Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, was orphaned as a baby. And because of the insistence of two Roman primordial goddesses, he is blessed by Erebus, the Roman primordial god of darkness, in order to defeat an ancient god once and for all. He is sent to Camp Half-Blood with one task, and that is to save the camp. The borders of the demigods' safe haven are failing, but that's not all. Although the cabin counselors are silent, and campers are ignorant of the situation, the truth lurks about in Camp Half-Blood. The enemy isn't aiming for just the fall of Camp._

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**Champion of Darkness**

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

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Rushing black water flowed in a river and glittered silver from a nearby torch. A cliff loomed above the body of water and everlasting silence resided in the dark realm. Two women were present on the cliff, one standing and the other crouching by the edge.

The first woman held a spindle in her hand and a lighted torch in the other. She stared at the darkness with intelligent honey-colored eyes as if expecting something to pop out of nowhere. Her light brown hair was pulled back in a bun. She wore a royal blue chiton and gold armbands that glistened in the light. A pair of majestic pure white wings streaked with blue and flecked with black extended from her back, showing off the size of the wingspan. Her skin held a healthy glow, making her look out of place in the gloomy environment.

The second woman was quite the opposite. If not for her deathly pale skin, she would have been camouflaged perfectly in the night. She had raven black hair swept over her left shoulder and wore a void black dress that trailed behind her like a wedding gown. Rooted between her shoulder blades were folded raven wings. Her blue eyes were focused on the baby boy she cradled in her arms, her black shawl wrapped around the boy.

Then the still air rippled, drawing the women's attention. Wind gusted dangerously close to the first woman. But the woman wasn't fazed. In fact, a small smile played on her lips.

The second woman called out to the open air, "I wondered how long it would take you to get here."

At first, there was nothing but an outline of a man; however, like ice forming on water, the man grew more visible and slowly faded into existence from the dark of the night. He was tall with arms ripped with muscles, jet black hair and cold dark eyes that contrasted greatly against his pale skin. He wore a black cloak that shifted and churned constantly as if made of darkness. From his back were crow-like wings.

His eyes narrowed at the sight of the baby in the second woman's arms. "You bring a mortal to your realm, Nyx?" he asked, his voice in a tone of disapproval.

"Half mortal," Nyx corrected, standing up. She drew nearer to the man and showed him the sleeping baby.

"I know the difference." The man said. Then he faced the other woman. "I can sense the sea in his veins. The child's a son of Pontus, perhaps?" He asked her.

The other woman smiled as if she knew something he didn't. Fingering the spindle in her hand, she replied, "His father is Poseidon."

At the sound of Poseidon's name, a sword materialized in the man's hand and his eyes, full of contempt, focused on the sleeping figure. But before he could strike, Nyx stepped away and shielded herself with her wings, concealing the baby.

The gold-eyed woman stifled a laugh. "I'm surprised that the son of Chaos is wary of a demigod who is nothing but a babe."

The man scowled. "His father is an Olympian. I shall not have one of them in my presence and live." He said. He lowered the sword, but didn't sheath it. "Explain to me why you bothered to bring this creature to me and forbid me to harm it." He said with a growl.

The woman answered, "Kronos is stirring and I fear that as time goes, it will not only be him who will be gaining more powerful."

This made the man pause for a second.

The woman continued, "The child's mother died in an accident. And Poseidon's convinced the two both perished. The child only lived for his mother had shielded him with her body milliseconds before the vehicles collided.

"The Great Prophecy speaks of a child of the Big Three. If that's the case, then this child is our only chance to defeat him. You will need to bless him, Erebos, in order to assure our victory."

Erebos' eyes flashed dangerously. "We all know that heroes are never good company for protogenoi." He said.

Nyx stepped forward, her wings folding. "I am aware of that, Erebos. But that is why only you shall bless the child and not the others. It is about time you gained a champion." She said.

Erebos sighed. "What I don't understand is why, Nyx. You, yourself had been greatly respected—even by Zeus. There are versions of the Greek Myths wherein it is not Chaos, who started it all; it was you. So if we are to search for a champion, why not be blessed by the primordial goddess of night, one of the most powerful of the protogenoi?" He asked.

"And for that very reason, the fact that she is next to power beside Chaos is the reason why the Fates had forbidden her to bless any mortal and immortal alike. You are the only option since yours and Nyx's are most similar to _his_; you are the only one left who can stand against him. That is why it must be you."

Erebos' eyes darkened greatly. His cloak churned violently and he gripped the hilt of the sword tightly. "And I suppose it is necessary. Am I correct, Ananke?" He asked grimly.

Ananke nodded gravely, her gold eyes serious. "It is necessary, Erebos." She confirmed.

Erebos turned to Nyx. His eyes softened at the sight of her. "Are you sure, Nyx?" His tone was gentle.

Nyx nodded. "They have sent me the message, Erebos," she said, "and I know they spoke with you as well."

Erebos nodded in response, but it was clear he did not like it. The shadows of the two women casted by the single torch lengthened towards him, reacting to his mood. He clenched his hands, gripping the sword so tightly that his knuckles turned to a bluish color.

Nyx had enough of his behavior. She handed the baby to Ananke and flapped her wings. She bore her eyes into Erebos'. "You are acting childish, Erebus." She scolded. "If you shall not take up your duty, then I shall." She said. She seemed to be slightly different. Her midnight blue eyes were much sterner. She stood in a posture with dignity and purpose. Her dress had changed into a toga. In her free hand, she held a staff, a crescent moon engraved on it.

By the end of her sentence, the man had changed too. His hair was cut in a military style and he wore pitch black armor adorned with medals. He was armed with another sword that hung in a scabbard from his hip, with his other hand resting on the sword hilt. "How does the child fare, Nox?" He asked.

Nox seemed a bit surprised that he was concerned of the baby, but recovered and replied. "His injuries only consisted of some scrapes and bruises, but otherwise he is fine. The woman died protecting her son. I'm not sure of which injuries she died from for I left in a rush." She said.

Erebus gave her a questioning look.

"It was during the day, and you know how Saturn's children are about protogenoi appearances in the mortal world." She explained.

Erebus silenced and thought of his answer for a while. After a few minutes, he gripped the hilts of his two swords tightly. "So be it," he replied. The swords faded to dark mist in his hands. "I shall bless the demigod, but afterwards I shall not be part of this, I will have nothing to do with him. I will neither raise him nor teach him to fight. But he is still mortal. I will see to it that he lives in the mortal world. You better be correct about this, Necessitas."

With that, Erebus stepped forward and Necessitas presented to him the baby. He placed a palm over the baby's forehead as the three crowded around the child.

"What is he called, Nox?" Erebus asked. "I need his name for the incantation."

"Perseus," Nox replied, "his mother uttered his name with her last breath before she died."

Erebus nodded and recited the incantation. His eyes glowed in a harsh bright light as he chanted. When he finished, the light dimmed from his eyes and he removed his palm. "It is done." Erebus said.

Hovering over Perseus' forehead in a black background and in silver font was a crescent moon. It glistened and shone in the night then slowly faded into the dark.

"Remember," Erebus said, facing his two other companions. "I blessed him as Erebus and not Erebos." Then he vanished in a swirl of darkness and black mist.

**- Π -**

A child's giggles echoed in the house. Within its walls was a strange sight: A toddler giggling at a tall and thin demon. Though, if any ordinary mortal were to cast their eyes upon the sight, they would only see a butler attempting to get a small child to eat.

The demon sighed in exasperation and scowled. He had a devilish and sinister look in his scowl. His upturned nose wrinkled every time he spoke and a pair of tusks poked out of his mouth. Oddly enough, he resembled a cross of a bat and another bird. Instead of feet, he had talons. Dark feathers covered most of his body and were shedding in an overwhelming rate. Wherever he flew, a trail of feathers was left behind. Horns protruded from the sides of his head, though one was broken and faced a direction that must've not been comfortable for him. Over his feathers, he wore a butler's outfit, which fit him crudely.

The toddler giggled again. "Pa-o," he said, looking at the demon with twinkling sea green eyes.

The demon who the toddler called 'Pa-o' sighed. "My name is Pavor." The demon corrected.

"Now, Percy, eat your food." Pavor instructed, but Percy was paying attention to one of the butler's feathers. Pavor sighed again. Getting a demigod to eat was just not possible. He wondered how mortals were able to raise so many of them without pulling their hair out.

Wind gusted behind him.

"Milady, if you are here to ask how the child is, my answer is he is enjoying the fact that he has avoided his food once again." Pavor said, hardly turning around.

Nox nodded in reply as she studied Perseus. She saw that he resembled his father more each year. He had a tuft of raven black hair and shared the same sea green eyes. She knew sadly that she'd have to cautiously limit his time near the sea. She couldn't have Poseidon discover his son yet, they needed to meet when the time was right.

"Pavor, we have a problem." Nox said, gripping her staff.

Pavor, who instantly sensed Nox's worry, came to attention at once. "What is it, Madam Nox?" He asked.

"It appears that Poseidon has discovered that his son still lives." Nox said gravely. "He has been searching for him whenever Amphitrite and Triton are not present."

"Neptune?" Pavor asked.

Nox shook her head. "No, Perseus is Poseidon's son."

"Does he know Percy's name?"

"No, the mother, Sally, had perished before she got the chance to tell him."

"This will make our job easier, then."

"Yes, Pavor, however I'm afraid he will see through the veil Hecate had casted to shroud this place and find him . . ."

Pavor studied Nox and saw the twinkle in her midnight blue eyes like stars in the night sky. He felt himself smile. "What is it you wish me to do?" He asked. Lady Nox's eyes always twinkled whenever she had something planned.

A smile tugged on Nox's lips. "You are one of the Somnia, are you not, Pavor?" She asked.

"Why, yes, Madam Nox, I am. The Greeks call us Oneiroi, and the mortals know us as dreams, but for the Romans it is Somnia." Pavor replied.

"Then have you heard of the gates? One made of ivory and the other of horn?" Nox asked.

Pavor scoffed. "Why, Madam, we, Somnia, have no doubt heard of the gates. We pass through them each night. Only when we wish to, however," replied Pavor.

"So you know which of the gates are true and which is not?"

"Of course I do—every one of the Somnia knows. If one of the Somnia passes through the gate made of horn, the dream is true, if he passes through the one of ivory, the dream will never reach fulfillment."

Nox smiled and whispered her plans and what Pavor had to do.

"I know it may be quite heart-wrenching for the sea god, but it is necessary for him not to find out about Percy until the right time." Nox said after she finished.

She turned to leave but stopped at mid-step. She glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, yes, and Pavor?"

"Yes, Madam?" asked the demon.

"Change back, will you? Looking half rooster, half bat and one-fourth devil doesn't quite suit you."

The butler smiled. "As you wish, Madam," he replied. Suddenly, all the black feathers were suddenly shed, revealing deathly pale skin and leaving the demon with only his butler attire. His horns shrunk until it could no longer be seen, and his tusks shrunk as well, becoming more of fangs that poked out of his mouth rather than tusks.

Pavor closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, instead of beady black eyes, he had indigo irises and black reptilian slits for pupils. He looked like a human butler with pale skin, sleek black hair and blue-violet eyes.

Nox nodded in approval. "You should really stop partially changing into random animals whenever you get moody, Pavor." She said.

"Of course, Madam," replied the demon.

**- Π -**

A man stood by the dock. He wore a Tommy Bahama shirt, khaki Bermuda shorts and leather sandals. He had black hair and sea green eyes that stared at the ocean horizon. His face held a solemn expression in contrary to the smile lines on his tanned face.

"Lord Poseidon," a voice called from somewhere below him.

The man tore his gaze off the horizon and focused it on the water below him to face the figure. "Delphin," he said, nodding in acknowledgment. "You found him? Did you find my son?" He asked. He gripped the bronze trident in his hand, which was scarred like a fisherman's.

The dolphin sighed. "I apologize, Lord Poseidon. I couldn't locate your son in Montauk. Your dream was wrong."

**- Π -**

Six-year-old Percy ran. He panted heavily and pumped his legs. A growl sounded behind him and the hair on Percy's neck stood up. He ran faster and didn't dare look behind him. He could feel its cold breath down his neck. He could see his shadow on the floor, in the corner of his eyes, running frantically. He could also see the creature's shadow, the size of an overgrown wolf, snapping at his heels. He tripped.

But as he fell and the creature behind him pounced, the pavement suddenly wasn't there anymore and when Percy opened his eyes, he wasn't in the sidewalk anymore. He was backed up against a brick wall, in a dark and damp alleyway that ended in a dead end.

Beads of cold sweat ran down Percy's back as he saw that he wasn't as far as he thought he was.

The creature was a distance away from him, sniffing the ground. It raised its head and sniffed the night air. Percy's heart pounded in his ears.

The creature sniffed again. It focused its glowing red eyes on him then bared its teeth and snarled.

Tensed, Percy slowly placed his palms flat against the floor. He tried to find that familiar trigger that allowed him to travel elsewhere, but his mind was too frantic.

Growling, the creature bolted towards him, its body nothing but a blur. Suddenly, Percy found the creature's fangs only inches away from his face.

The creature exploded to dust in Percy's face and a sword clattered to the floor. He heard the stomping of footsteps and saw a fourteen-year-old boy making his way towards him.

Percy melted into a shadow and found himself on a rooftop, right beside the alleyway. He could see the fourteen-year-old clearly.

He had sandy blond hair and blue eyes. Judging from the condition of his clothes, Percy could tell he'd been on the run for quite some time with monsters chasing him.

Blue-eyes picked up his sword, which Percy saw was made of glowing bronze. "Weird," Blue-eyes said. "I'm sure I just saw a boy here."

"Luke!" A voice said and Percy saw a girl around his age with curly blonde hair crash into Blue-eyes, hugging him tightly.

"Don't you dare do that again ever again, Castellan." another voice said and a twelve-year-old girl appeared. She had short, spiky black hair and electric blue eyes. She was pale and had freckles across her nose. "You had Annabeth worried." She said.

Luke laughed. "Okay, I'll try not to worry Annabeth much, Thalia." He said and pulled the blonde girl away from him.

The blonde girl—Annabeth, Percy assumed—frowned at him. She punched him at the shoulder and looked at Luke with her striking gray eyes. "Don't do that!" She said.

Luke rubbed his throbbing shoulder. "Ouch, Annabeth," He said. "I swear Thalia's rubbing off on you."

Annabeth didn't seem to feel guilty about hitting him, though, Percy observed. In fact, after hearing Luke's statement, she held her chin higher, proud of the fact that she was starting to be like Thalia.

Thalia laughed. "True, I would've punched you, but Annabeth did that for me." She said. Then she turned serious. "Mind telling us why you bolted _towards_ the hellhound? Running away is the usual reaction."

Luke sighed and stepped closer to Thalia, standing in front of her. "The hellhound was chasing a boy. The monster got him cornered here, if I didn't throw my sword and killed it, the kid would've died. I swear he was here, but there's no one here but us."

Annabeth gave Luke a questioning look. "There was a boy around my age? And he just vanished?" She asked.

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "So, the kid just vanished into thin air?" She asked. The tone wasn't mocking, Percy could see based on the expression on her face that she didn't doubt Luke at all. She was just as curious as Annabeth was.

"I don't know, Thals." Luke said, sighing. "Let's just be happy I killed the hellhound. Another monster down means lesser monsters that would chase us."

"The hellhound wasn't that big. Hellhounds that size travel in packs, so why was it alone?" Annabeth asked.

_That's because I already killed the other four._ Percy thought in answer to Annabeth's question. _The hellhound that almost killed me snapped my sword in half._

Thalia looked around her, her eyes darting everywhere. "Well, we have to get back to Grover and keep moving. We have to be there as fast as we can. I don't think it's safe here." She said.

_Gee, what was your first clue?_ Percy thought. _Wait—weren't there three hellhounds chasing me?_

A growl sounded behind the three demigods below Percy, who inhaled sharply. A hellhound came to view behind Annabeth. Foam and drool dripped from its mouth. Its lips were pulled back, baring its teeth.

Percy's eyes widened. There was no way the hellhound could've gone there without them noticing. He tensed. _A little twist,_ the words echoed in his head. He felt numb. Of course, shadow travel, the hellhound could shadow travel. That was the only explanation.

"Annabeth," Luke whispered, levelling his sword, his eyes wide. "Walk back, slowly."

Annabeth nodded and walked back slowly. Her frightened gray eyes trained on the hellhound, never leaving it.

The hellhound snarled and snapped the air. It focused its crimson red eyes on the three demigods. If it wasn't a monster, Percy would've said that it was grinning.

Annabeth walked backwards, slowly placing her feet behind her one at a time. And it was at that time she chose to pivot and run. She slipped and fell on the pavement.

The sudden movement triggered the monster's reaction. It pounced.

"No!" Luke cried and jumped in its way. But he was too slow and too far, he could only watch as the hellhound's fangs closed in on Annabeth's neck.

Percy shadow traveled to Annabeth's side in an instant. He grabbed her wrist and they melted into a shadow.

The hellhound pounced onto the bare floor and its jaws snapped open air. It faced Luke, who was nearest to it, and swiped its paws at his legs. Luke was swept off his feet and slammed down as the hellhound placed its heavy paws on his chest. His breath was knocked out of his lungs. His sword flew from his grasp and skittered across the floor.

Thalia ran to her companion's aid, but was suddenly knocked down to the ground by another hellhound. The second hellhound snapped at her face but Thalia was able to bring out her spear and slam it to the hellhound's jaws in order to refrain it from biting her.

Percy and Annabeth appeared in the street just right behind Thalia. Annabeth, not used to shadow travelling, fell to the floor. She noticed Percy, who was standing beside her and asked, "Who—who are you?"

But Percy didn't answer. He grabbed the knife from Annabeth's hand. "I'll borrow this." He said and threw it towards the hellhound on Thalia. The hellhound jumped back and dodged the knife, which impaled into a wall.

Thalia took the opportunity to stab the hellhound with her spear as the monster was distracted. It burst into dust.

Percy melted into a shadow again. He reappeared by Luke's sword and swiped it off the ground.

As Luke was fighting off the hellhound, trying to get it off his chest and avoid the monster's teeth, Percy slashed at the hellhound's left side. The hellhound howled in pain and focused its attention on Percy, who vanished again. He materialized above the monster and fell on the back of its neck.

The hellhound thrashed, trying to shake Percy off. It tried biting him, snapping near its neck.

Percy held on. He grasped the hilt with both hands and brought the blade down.

_SWISH_

_THWUCK_

The blade cut clean through the hellhound's head, coming from the top of its skull and the tip emerged at its chin. The monster shuddered and exploded to dust.

Percy fell to the floor, panting. He eased himself from the fighting stance and stood up straight. He let the sword slip from his grasp and clatter to the floor. He walked towards a wall and retrieved Annabeth's dagger. He ignored the others' stares and walked towards Annabeth. "Here," he said, giving the dagger to Annabeth, who accepted it.

"Thanks," she said.

Percy nodded. He took the moment to look at the other demigods. They looked at Percy in shock, no doubt about how he appeared without warning and helped them kill the hellhounds that were about to kill them.

"Sorry for the trouble." Percy said to them. "The hellhounds were meant to come after me, not you guys."

Percy looked at Luke straight in the eye. "Thanks for killing the hellhound." He said, grinning. "I could've died." He melted into a shadow and shadow travelled to his home, leaving the stunned, dust-coated demigods in the dark and damp alleyway.

Percy hung his head when he appeared in his house. He was exhausted. All the shadow travelling tired him. On top of his to-do list was to go to his room and sleep. But it seems that the night wasn't done with him.

The hair on the back of Percy's neck stood up as the night hummed. He turned, but there was no one. He stood back as the night hummed with life. He suddenly felt cold and he saw his breath whenever he exhaled. Frost seeped on the floor tiles before him.

Percy stepped back, but slipped and fell to the floor. Still on the floor, he sat up and saw the floor was coated with a thin layer of ice. As the night hummed and hummed and drummed to life, he saw a woman's silhouette. _Lady Nox,_ he thought. His blood pounded in his ears and he felt a bit light-headed.

The humming ceased. Most of the ice and frost disappeared quicker than they had appeared. Nox stepped forward, a layer of ice formed in a circle on the floor she stood.

"Lady Nox," Percy breathed.

Nox looked at Percy with disappointment."Seven hellhounds," she said. "Two of which had the ability of shadow travel and you were only able to kill five." She went on about his performance. In Percy's opinion, he did pretty well, but it seemed that Lady Night was most disappointed about his sword snapping in half. "You don't know any other combat skills beside the ones that involved weapons. If that were to happen in a real fight, you'd be in real trouble." She said, frowning.

As she went on, Percy stopped listening. His mind wandered to other matters, mostly about the other three demigods. When he heard them talking, they didn't just seem to run away and avoid danger. They seemed to be going somewhere. They talked about the place like it was a safe place. But Percy couldn't think of anything anywhere three demigods would want to be going together.

"Lady Night," said Percy.

"What is it?" Nox asked.

"Where were they going?" Percy asked. "Is it safe? Can I go there too?"

Nox stared at Percy impassively. "Who are _they_, Perseus?" She asked.

Percy wasn't fooled. He knew she was always watching. Watching his performance, how he was doing. He knew that she had heard the three demigods' conversation. She heard them talking about the place they were going.

"You know what I'm talking about," Percy said coldly. Normally he wouldn't speak to her so rudely, but the fact that Lady Night was keeping information from him hurt.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Perseus, so I suggest you cease this behavior immediately." Nox said.

Percy studied her, trying to make her slip, trying to see if he could find any sign of lying.

He couldn't find anything.

No drop of sweat was seen on her skin. She made no movement and at the same time didn't grasp anything tightly. Nothing twitched, nothing fidgeted. Her expression remained devoid of any emotion and her blue eyes gave nothing away.

Percy gave up trying to trip her up. It was impossible, anyway. She was the Roman primordial goddess of night who lived for many centuries. And he was just a kid who hadn't even lived a decade.

"Well, if you're done staring at me, sleep. It's late and I'll be waking you up early tomorrow. I wouldn't want you falling asleep while fighting a monster." Nox said. "I expect better performance tomorrow." She vanished in a gust of night air.

Percy sighed. He walked towards his room lazily. As the door opened, he dragged his feet inside. He lay on his bed. He looked at the time. 12.11, he read. He closed his eyes. It was already morning. Before he succumbed to the lull of sleep, he whispered to himself, "Happy Birthday to me."

It was August eighteenth. He turned seven years old.

** - Π -**

Pavor fluttered his bat-like wings. "What is it, Madam?" He asked.

"It appears that Poseidon has stopped searching." Nox replied.

"Oh, thank Chaos, I was running out of places for him to search."

"Yes, but what made him do so, I do not know. I assumed he'd search until the very day Perseus goes to Camp."

"Ah, he'd go to Camp at fifteen years old, on August eleventh, correct?"

"Yes, a week before his sixteenth birthday. Until then, Perseus must remain ignorant of the Camp's existence."

"And Poseidon stopped searching nine years early? Why, Perseus is only seven."

"That's what I came to discuss. What made Poseidon stop his search?"

**- Π -**

He howled in pain then exploded into dust.

Percy lowered the sword, panting. Fighting the manticore had been challenging, more challenging than other monsters. He had to admit, Dr. Thorn was harder to kill than expected. He had way too many close calls than he should've had.

The ten-year-old sat down, his breath finally evening out. He let the sword slip from his grip and clatter onto the floor. He leaned against the wall and faced upwards at the ceiling. Moonlight streamed in from behind him through the window above him. Shadows danced across the room, making Percy grin.

Looking at the hotel room he was in, Percy wondered how Dr. Thorn scored the place. He would've thought he were inside a palace if he didn't know any better. He was inside hall that led to a living room and from the living room, the kitchen. Dozens of chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Windows lined the wall, bringing in large amounts of light. There was even a second floor.

Percy shifted his position, but winced suddenly and glared at the spike protruding out from his left thigh. It seems Dr. Thorn had gotten a lucky shot after all.

Percy focused his gaze on his left ankle, which was throbbing in pain. He tried to move his foot, but winced as he realized that his ankle was probably broken (most likely from when he fell down from the chandelier).

_Okay, _he thought. _A broken ankle and a spike wound._

Percy gripped the spike tightly. It had gotten in deep. He tensed as he prepared to yank it out of his thigh. He gripped it again and inhaled sharply as the thorn was pulled out.

The thorn was gone, but his leg still felt like it was on fire. Percy examined the tip and groaned. Of course, poison. Why didn't he notice before? At least it didn't look lethal.

He stared at his shadow, which was cast in front of him. His mind raced as he thought of a way to get out of the casino and not worsen the wound (and his ankle) in the process. He prayed silently to Lady Night, hoping she'd send a little help. He pushed his palm against his shadow and felt the floor suddenly give way as his hand submerged into the blackness. He felt something against his palm and withdrew his hand.

His hand was gripping a canteen of ambrosia.

Percy's eyes lit up at the sight. He set the canteen down and reached into the shadow again—only to pull out a jug of nectar. He silently thanked Lady Nox, who he knew had sent it. He guessed she was in a good mood since she almost never intervened. She had given him nectar and ambrosia—just the things she told him not to bring along with him for his task to be more difficult.

Percy slipped his bag off and rummaged through it, trying to find the small medical kit he always had. He knew he wasn't as good as Apollo kids, but with nectar and ambrosia, he figured the wound would only require some basic first aid procedures. His ankle, though, was a different story.

Using a Swiss Army knife he'd found in his bag to cut the bandages, he dressed the wound and tried to deal with his ankle the best he could.

Once he was done, he stuffed his things into his bag and stood up stiffly, slipping on the backpack. He limped across the hotel room, using his sword as a crutch. When he reached the door, he leaned against the door frame, trying to level his labored breaths out. Unfortunately, he had more walking to do. And it consisted going through a hall and soon, a room crowded with people.

Percy stepped out of the hotel room and closed the door behind him silently. He took a painful step forward and was suddenly crashed into. "Oof!" Percy cried and fell onto the floor with a thud. Pain shot through his ankle.

"Oh, sorry," Percy heard a voice say to him. He looked up and saw a boy around his age with black hair and brown eyes standing above him.

"Uh, here's your cru—" The boy stopped, picking up Percy's sword. "Is this a sword?" He asked, his eyes widening.

"No," Percy said quickly and snapped his fingers. "It's just a normal crutch."

The wind gusted and the boy blinked. "Oh, yeah . . . it's just a normal crutch." He agreed.

"Nico!" a voice called. "I told you not to run in the hall!" The voice scolded. A twelve-year old girl came to view. She had freckles and dark, silky hair. Percy saw that she had the same dark brown eyes as the boy—Nico, Percy guessed.

"Oh," said the girl as she saw Percy on the floor. "Sorry," she apologized. "My brother can be reckless."

"It's okay," Percy assured and grabbed his sword from Nico. He stood up slowly, careful not to hit his ankle. "Uh, you guys out on vacation?" He asked.

"Well, kind of." The girl replied, pursing her lips.

Percy studied the two siblings. He was sure they were demigods. How he could tell, he didn't know. He just did. But there were things he wondered about.

"Well, this place is pretty cool, but I've only been here for a few hours. Do you know your way around here?"

"Yeah, we've been here for a month, I think." The girl answered.

"Could you help me out?" Percy asked.

"Sure!" Nico replied. He seemed pretty enthusiastic to help out, but Percy could see him eyeing the sword he told him was a 'crutch.'

"Percy, Percy Jackson." Percy offered.

"I'm Bianca di Angelo and this is my brother, Nico di Angelo."

* * *

_**A/N: Yeah, I added ****Bianca and Nico to the story, but they won't do anything big. Well, Nico might later on.**_

_**Anyway, please review and tell me how I did for the prologue. Please inform me of any grammatical errors and if I put incorrect information. Flames will be thrown into Hestia's hearth, but constructive criticism is welcomed. If you're going to criticize, please at least tell me why. I don't like any criticism for no apparent reason.**_

_**The Poseidon stopping his search for Percy thing will be explained when Percy comes to Camp.**_

_**See ya!**_

_**~NavalKopis**_

******Word Count (not including the author notes): 5,690**


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